


Stormborn

by itsaboutvale



Series: Targaryen Restoration [4]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Character Death, Daenerys vision, Death in Childbirth, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-14
Updated: 2018-11-14
Packaged: 2019-08-23 17:55:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16623698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsaboutvale/pseuds/itsaboutvale
Summary: Daenerys has a vision of her mother Rhaella.





	Stormborn

**Author's Note:**

> BEWARE OF ANGST! 
> 
> Prepare your kleenex, folks, this is gonna break your hearts. 
> 
> So, I wrote this for the mothers day (months ago) in the Amino community of GoT. I always wanted to post it here, but never got the time to adapt it. 
> 
> I chose Rhaella for the fic in the mothers day, because she's a character that has a special spot in my heart, and I'M SO MAD that the series doesn't give her the importance she deserves. So, the fic was my tribute for her.
> 
> At first, it was just her POV, but I adapted it to fit my 'Targaryen Restoration' series, adding a bit of Dany and Jon. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you like it and remember the amazing woman Rhaella was. 
> 
> Enjoy.

Stormborn

 

 

The queen was walking down the great hall of Dragonstone, but she didn’t feel it like home. Here, everything began; the Targaryen dynasty was born and grew on these walls, but for Rhaella, it was only cold stones that gave her chills. For a while, she’d forgot what it feels to be home. Even living in the Red Keep, she knew she was a prisoner, an object to maintain the dynasty.

 

She came to the corridor and saw the small toy lying on the floor. A wooden boat. Rhaella smiled wistfully as she went to Viserys' room. She wished she could go away with him, in a boat; sail to some place where they would be happy; to forget all the tragedies of the past moons. Never in all her dreams, she’d thought something like this could happen. Her life and her family, reduced to a place in oblivion; the only thing she desired, was to have the strength to let protect Viserys, not allow anything happens to him.

 

And the life inside her.

 

As she walked, her hand rested on her belly. The master and her maids had assured it was a matter of time for the baby to come. Whenever he or she was ready, they’d said. Rhaella didn’t want to admit it, but deep inside she feared for her baby. She couldn’t lose another. Not after losing her firstborn.

 

She had no more tears left to cry. All of them were lost the day her son died. Her life will never be the same as before. That day, she learned you have to fight to survive in a world where they were persecuted. The day she found out a new life grew inside her.

 

Oh, the irony. Losing a child, but at the same time, the gods gave her the possibility of another. Rhaella had no illusions about her pregnancy, but even so, that mother's love was growing; Even when she tried not to care, it was impossible. In her times alone in her room at night, when she felt the baby kicking with straight, she filled with hope. Her baby had to live. It had to be the light that filled her life.

 

She reached the room and opened the door. The sound of laughter filling the place. She smiled as she walked towards the balcony, where her son Viserys played on the floor, surrounded by wooden toys.

 

"I think someone forgot this in the hall," she whispered, moving the small boat in front of him.

 

Viserys let out a cry of joy and took the toy in one of his hands, while the other took her mother's wrist and pulled her to a chair.

 

"Look, mama, they're going Valyria. They are dragon lords!” He exclaimed as he placed the toys in her lap. Rhaella smiled, taking one of them and moving it in front of him. “they’re looking for dragon eggs” he whispered at her.

 

"Dragon eggs?" She asked with a fake surprise. "Are there dragon eggs in Valyria? I thought they were extinct! We must find them all” she exclaimed.

 

Viserys laughed and began to move the pieces in front of her while telling stories about how the lords found the eggs and turned them into real dragons. Rhaella looked at him smiling. Her son was oblivious to everything that was happening, the little innocence he had, made her worry more. The world was a cruel place for someone so small. It depended on her that her son didn’t suffer any harm, and he would continue with that same happiness.

 

After leaving her son in the hands of her maid, Rhaella walked to the library. She needed to find the master, ask him what they should do from now on. She knew it was a matter of time before the usurper finds them, and their fate could be equal or worse to her grandchildren and Elia. When she found out that, Rhaella had cried. But her tears were of rage and impotence. She felt guilty for leaving them behind. If she hadn’t been such a coward, she would have confronted her husband; Elia and the little ones could now be next to her in Dragonstone. But no, Rhaella would never dare to antagonize Aerys. And for because of that, they were all dead now.

 

"My queen," the master greeted, bending to see her enter. Rhaella walked towards one of the chairs and sat down, letting out a tired sigh. Her back hurt, and she could hardly feel her feet anymore. "You look tired, my queen; how do you feel?" He asked, closing the book he was reading.

 

"As you said, tired," she whispered looking at her hands. "I don’t know how much longer I can handle this”

 

"Your grace has to be strong. Your children need it. You are now the head of the Targaryen family, and you must fight for what is yours,” he repeated forcefully. Rhaella smiled wryly. She knew there was nothing left, more than trying to find a way to get ahead. Everyone told her she had to be strong, but who was strong for her?

 

"Any news from the capital?" She murmured looking at him. The master shook his head.

 

"Robert Baratheon took the throne. He still recovers from the battle and the losses and tries to win the support of all the houses. It is a difficult task, but given the circumstances...” he didn’t have to say more, she knew the people against the Baratheons were few. The fear they had for him, and the power he now boasted, was enough for many to fall at his feet.

 

"My lady, I don’t want to alarm you, but..." the master said whispering. Rhaella looked at him, telling him with her eyes to continue. "There are rumors that the new king is going to send a float to Dragonstone, looking for the little prince" he whispered sadly. Her eyes opened immediately and she felt a twinge in her belly. No. That can’t happen. Not now.

 

"How reliable is this information?" She said trying to hide the fear in her voice.

 

"Fairly reliable, your majesty," he said, ducking his head. "That's why I'm begging you, my queen, you should leave now. We both know what would happen if they found him.” the master beg.

 

"But where Maester? Who could help the wife and child of a king who killed for fun?” she exclaimed, with frustration "No one would put their lives in danger, to save ours,"

 

"It's not true, my queen. Many are still loyal to you,” he said with conviction. "I'm certain, if it's not here, maybe somewhere else, like Essos," he said after a while.

 

"Essos?" She said surprised. She had never been in these lands, and the truth was that it wasn’t a place she wanted to be, but even so, she supposed it was the only part where she could feel safe from the usurper. "Please Master, get all the information from Essos and the people who can help us."

 

She dreamed the same again. Ice and Fire. Dancing in the air, while people ran everywhere. Then, from the sky appeared a great dragon. His teeth were the size of a man, and his wings covered the sun. The great beast flew over the whole city, while its flames made ashes the Red Keep. There was a figure on the great dragon. It was small, but Rhaella could make out silver hair. Rhaegar? She thought as she watched closely. No, it was a woman.

 

One moment she was in the streets of the King's Landing, and the next she was at the dragon pit. There was no one around her. She began to walk looking for a way out, but couldn’t find it. Then, everything went dark, and when she looked up, the dragon descended in front of her.

 

The animal approached and began to smell her. His large snout touched her belly, and as she looked down, she realized it was flat. This time, the scream came out of her lips, with strength and angst. The beast looked at her for a moment, moved away a few inches and opened his mouth; then, in a second, he engulfed her, shutting her screams.

 

Rhaella woke up screaming. She looked around and saw her bedroom. Her heart was pounding hard, wanting to get out of her chest; at that moment she felt a sharp pain in her belly and she let out a cry of pain. When Rhaella looked down, she saw the sheets were wet. Her eyes widened with fear and she quickly removed them from her body. Relief filled her, seeing it was not blood, but at the same time fear filled her. It was time.

 

 

"Please, my queen, you have to push," the midwife begged in front of her. Push up. She couldn’t breathe. Her throat burned with the cries of pain that she released every time she felt the contractions. "Milda, bring more towels. Quick!” Shouted the woman in front of her.

 

At her side, she felt her maid clean her forehead. The woman's eyes were full of tears, and she tried to hide the sobs. Rhaella knew what that meant.

 

"Please... save him... save him" she pleaded. Her arms had no strength, and she felt faint.

 

"You can do it, your majesty," the woman said. Rhaella felt another contraction and her body arched as she pushed. "Good, my queen! One more push!”

 

She couldn’t do it anymore. She knew she wouldn’t make it. Her life was fading and all she could think about was that her children were going to be alone. She couldn’t protect them. She was going to fail again.

 

"I see the head!" The woman shouted. Rhaella could hardly hear. She fought for the air to reach her lungs so she could continue living. At the distance, she heard a clap of thunder, and the crash of the waves against the rocks. The wind blew heavily in the windows, and the walls vibrated with their straight.

 

"My queen, you can do it," the maid whispered beside her. Rhaella took her hand and squeezed it tightly, her body arching again as she pushed once more.

 

"It's coming out!" The woman shouted. The maids ran in front of her, bringing and carrying hot water and towels. She could see some of them were red from the blood that came out of her. "Here, here!" The woman shouted. Rhaella felt something came out of her, making her fall on the pillows behind her. The baby cry was loud and clear, and it almost overshadowed the thunder that sounded around them, like saying ‘here I am’.

 

Her eyes were closing, but she needed to stay awake to see her baby. A trembling hand rose up, looking for her little one. "I want to see him... please... I need to see it, even if it's only once" she whispered without strength.

 

The midwife approached her and put in her arms a small body wrapped in a white sheet. "It's a girl my queen. A strong and healthy baby” she said with joy.

 

A girl.

 

Rhaella looked at the baby in her arms; her skin was flushed, and her small mouth puckered in a frown. Tears began to fall down her face as she touched her daughter's small face. She was perfect. She couldn’t believe she finally had her in her arms.

 

Rhaella took her hand and kissed them, she couldn’t stop looking at her and the pain she felt was left behind; her thought was only in the small body on her arms. The new life born to made her feel a deep love and a feeling of protection that could face against everything. At that moment she remembered the dream she had had hours before. She hugs the baby harder while kissing her forehead. No, she wouldn’t let anything happen to her.

 

"My queen ..." her maid approached beside her. "How are you going to call the princess?" She asked, trying to sound cheerful, but her eyes were full of tears.

 

Before she could say anything, she felt her arms weaken; she was about to drop the baby, but the maid came quickly and held her in place. Rhaella's breathing became faster, as she tried to fill her lungs with air. No... she couldn’t leave. She could not leave her children.

 

"My queen?" She heard from afar as they called her, but she couldn’t think clearly.

 

"Da... Daenerys..." she whispered without strength. A tear rolled down her eyes, as she tried to look at her daughter, who had now her eyes open and was staring at her.

 

Her face was the last thing she saw before her eyes closed forever. At the distance, a shine illuminated the sky and seconds later the sound of thunder made the room rumble. The baby cried with more strength, while the maid took her in her arms with tears in her eyes. She looked at the baby in her arms and then at the woman lying lifeless in bed. Today, the gods had taken away a dragon, but they had given life to another.

 

"Daenerys ..." whispered the woman crying as she took her little hand. The baby looked at her with eyes full of tears and her body moving with sobs.

 

 

 

 

Her eyes opened wide, as she inhaled, trying to fill her lung with the air that seems missing. She looked around anxiously, trying to figure out where she was now. Home. She sighed as her hands were to her chest, feeling her heart beat fast. It felt so real. So real.

 

Her hands went immediately to her belly, a kick on her left side make her let out a sob, as she caressed it lovingly. Her other hand went to her right, but she didn’t feel any movement. With her eyes wide open, she moved in her bed, until her back rested against the pillows. Her hands were sweating, and she felt cold.

 

It was so real.

 

“Dany?” the place beside her on the bed moved, and her wet eyes met Jon’s. “hey…” he said immediately, as he saw her tears. He raised on the bed, and his arms were on hers soon, hugging her closely, stroking her silver hair. “it’s alright, you’re alright” he whispered, his lips brushing her forehead.

 

She couldn’t keep the sobs that came out of her lips; her arms surrounded Jon’s chest, trying to hold on him as she felt the weakness over her. She dreamed of her mother, she couldn’t remember the last time she dreamed about her, but it was never like this.

 

When she was younger, she’d dream of a life where her lady mother was alive, her face always blurred, but her eyes and hair so similar to hers, there was no doubt she was her mother. She ran to her, and Rhaella’s arms were always there, waiting for her to hug her close to her body; her voice was soft at Daenerys ears, the words making her feel safe and loved.

 

But this dream was none like those. She knew it wasn’t just a dream. It was real, like those visions she used to have.

 

 

 

“I know it was real” she whispered to Jon minutes later, after she told him everything about it. “it was so… vivid” her head rested on Jon’s chest, as his fingers traced her arm. One of his hands were over her rounded belly, caressing the babies.

 

“you told me once you used to have visions of the past; perhaps this was one of them,” he said softly, and she nodded. “where you afraid?” he said after a minute.

 

Dany sighed as she closed her eyes, “it was just… so overwhelming, like… I could feel her, Jon. Everything she felt as she was there, her pain… gods, she felt so much pain” she whispered, clutching the sheets that cover them, as the memories came back to her.

 

Jon embraced her tight, feeling the way her body tense as she spoke; she was cold, something that worried him, as she always felt warm, the blood of the dragon on her veins, making her warmer than others. But this time he could only felt the cold.

 

“Dany, I think we should call the master, you’re so cold,” he said anxious, trying to raise her face, but she only shook it, as her arms clutched against him.

 

“no… don’t leave” she pleads. Jon nodded, as he kissed softly her hair;

 

“never” he whispered. Jon put some furs over them, trying to warm her up, as his hands caressed her arms.

 

They stay like that for a minute, as Dany calm down her sobs, and her body stops trembling. “she was so scared, she feared for her children and what could happen to us. She was alone”

 

“she wanted to protect you and your brother; it wasn’t her fault, any of what happened.”

 

“no, it wasn’t,” Daenerys said nodding.

 

Her mother had been so lonely, even in her marriage and in her time on Kings Landing. Terrified of her father and what he could do to her. But despite that, she wanted to be strong.

 

“I could feel that fearless inside her, even after all,” Dany said.

 

“she was a survivor,” Jon whispered, kissing her nose, “just like you” his eyes met hers, giving her the reassurance, she needed.

 

“I don’t feel strong right now,” she said. “many things make me feel afraid.”

 

“that doesn’t make you weak” he replied, remembering Lord Stark’s words “been afraid is the only time a man can be brave”

 

Daenerys thought about that for a moment, recalling her dream and how even when her mother fears for their destiny, she kept the straight to feel brave.

 

“the love she had was what made her strong,” she said after a minute, “she loved Viserys so much; she wanted to protect him, he was so little”

 

“she loved you too, Dany,” Jon said, his finger tracing the shape of her face, as she closed her eyes, nodding.

 

“she did” Daenerys whispered. “I never feel truly loved her by her. Viserys always blame me of her death, and I thought… it was my fault and I didn’t deserve to be loved by her”

 

Jon’s hands closed in a fist, as he tried to contain his anger. Her bother deserved to be burning in the seven hells, and Jon knew he would gladly kill him a thousand times for all the pain he’d given her.

 

“don’t,” Dany said, touching his hands and intertwining their fingers together. “is in the past now”

 

“aye, it is” he replied. Jon raised her face, while his lips brushed hers slightly, “your vision only proved that your mother loved you with all her heart, and I’m sure she’s so proud of the woman you’ve become,” a lonely tear rolled out of her eyes, and Jon catches it with his thumb.

 

“I love her” she whispered, “I wish I could have known her” her hands went to the swell of her belly, feeling a kick on her right side, and smiling with relieve. “I wish she could have known them”

 

Soon, her eyes felt heavy, and her body relaxed with Jon’s body beside her, keeping her warm and loved. This time, she dreamed of lemon trees and a red door, but different of the other dreams, this time, there was a silver-haired lady waiting for her to come inside the house.

 


End file.
